Here’s a new instrumental composition created entirely using VSTs, all played or programmed. The only part I didn’t write entirely is the Stratocaster guitar part; the Birthday preset from the Ample Guitar SC plugin was the inspiration for this piece. I made a few personal changes, including the melodic chord sequence at the end of the phrase. I’m not promoting Ample Sound plugins, but I must admit they’re of very high quality, producing a very realistic playing experience.
Plugins (instruments) used:
Bass: Waves Bass Fingers
Electric guitars (2 tracks): Ample Guitar SC & NI Session Guitarist Electric Mint
Piano: UAD Ravel
Bells (2 tracks): Roli Equator 2 & Dawesome Zyklop (free)
Ostinato (Synth): Arturia CS-80 V
Brassy Pad (Synth): Surge XT (free)
Nylon guitar: Ample Guitar L
Lead synth (3 finely tuned tracks, emulating a kind of Lucky Man sound): NI Massive X, Softube Model 84 & Retrologue
About the title:
The name Nabi has no religious connotation or affiliation with any artistic movement. It is the Korean word “나비” meaning butterfly, often used as a feminine given name. It evokes lightness, beauty, transformation, and can also symbolize freedom and rebirth.
Nice track, and that “Lucky Man” sound takes me right back to those mini-moog days. I like the nylon guitar sound, although it doesn’t really sound that close to the real thing. The Strat sound is a bit closer. The nylon did remind me of how Steve Howe might’ve been recorded on Yes tracks like Madrigal.
I didn’t hear this when you’d first shared it here. A return to some gigging earlier in 2025 temporarily took my focus away from recording my own stuff. That said, I’ve somehing new to share here soon, but wanted to catch up a bit and touch bases with work from people I’d interacted with and liked. This was good.
I’m glad you liked it. I don’t have any expectations when I post something on the forum, but I always appreciate comments from people who take the time to write a few lines.
This piece is only a few years old, and I couldn’t seem to finish it. I even completely removed a string quartet accompaniment that weighed the piece down rather than supporting it. It was the name Nabi, in its Korean sense, that allowed me to lighten it and make it more ethereal, if I can put it that way.